Power take-off shaft



April 30, 1935. w. F. M GREGOR POWER TAKE-OFF SHAFT- Filed Aug. 29 2 Sheets-Sheet l in MM: v Tr: E Ne N EG .R cfi 0 NAW W I M3 F n HR LM'. M I Y B April 30, 1935. 9 w, F. M eREoR POWER TAKE-OFF SHAFT Filed Aug. 29, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 #444444: F y A/omvA/v R, Kmws:

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Patented Apr. 30, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE POWER 131:2; SHAFT Wallace F. MacGregor and Norman R.

-Racine, Wis., assignors to J. I. ine, Wis, a corporation Application August 29, 1932, Serial No. i 6 Claims. (01. 180-14) Krause, Case Company,

in engagement on shaft 29 by means of p e, in fragment, connected W i h l r and equippedwith our improved a 2, an enlarged detail of a pr-' length we provide therefore. supporting frame mounted on the drawbar, which comprises vertical members openings 41 able frame mounted on the drawbar for supbolts th direction indicated by the arrows 5-5 in Fig. 3. I Y

In said drawings the numeral Sindicates a tractor, 6 a corn harvester, and 1, otally connected, at 9,

It is essential to maintain the tions 9, and 20 in equidistant times, substantially square and telescoping into a similar seca yoke l6 and in which by screws l8 or To the yoke I6 a clamping yoke I9 is connected by pins 20 to form clamping yoke being, adapted to receive 9 b a shaft section 2! having a. splined end 22, which splined portion embodies circumferential grooves preferably made of tubing, in which the section 2! is welded, as at 21, or otherwise, the opposite shaft section ll mounted therein will follow, so that there will be no interruption of rotation of the power shaft as the machinery is moving. It will be understood also that should the machine. become clogged, or its actuating parts abruptly stopped from any cause, the shaft section 4| will cease rotation and the clutch member 28 disengaged from member 34, whereby the main shaft will continue rotation without damage to the power line, and that immediately such difliculties have been overcome clutch '28 through the force of spring 36 will become reengaged with clutch 34, and the power line thus becomes automatically readjusted into operative condition.

When it is desired to connect the vehicles for straight pulling, that is, in direct alignment with each other, the pin 25 is released from the clamping yoke IS, the bracket BI is adjusted laterally and the drawbar disconnected at l0, whereupon the tractor may be steered inwardly so that it, the drawbar and the power line will assume the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. The purpose of employing the laterally adjustable bracket Si is toprovide means for equally dividing the operating angle of the series of universal couplings, and which adjustability also accommodates the alignment of the power shaft with dif ferent types of tractors having power shaft connections at either the right or left sides of the center of the tractor. In such latter position the drawbar is reconnected at Hi, the clamping yoke 19 which has moved rearwardly along splined shaft 2| is again tightened by pin 25, and the bracket is secured to the cross-member 49, in the appropriate position. It will be understood that the location of the power take-off shaft I3 varies in different types of tractors, some being higher and others mounted in one side of the tractor, for which reason we provide the vertical members 46 and cross-member 49 with adjustable means for accommodating power take-oi! shafts positioned at various heights or otherwise in different tractors. When adjusted in the manner described it will-be seen that the shaft section I! has not telescoped into section I! due to the changes in position of the power shaft as the variations in its total length are compensated for by the telescoping of yoke l9 on the spline 2l,-and in becoming so adjusted the pivotal connections 9, l4 and 20 continue in equidistant relationship without any interference of freedom of action of said parts during the frequent irregular land conditions encountered in field operations or the turning of the vehicles. It will be understood, of course, that when the 'drawbar I, 8, is laterally adjusted to intermediate or farther positions than indicated in Fig. l the power line, when the bracket 51 is released and the pin 25 disengaged as-before described, will follow the movements of the drawbar, the pivotal connections between the parts referred to, will assume proper relationship at all times, and there will be no interference with their free action to permit vibration and irregular movements of said flexible power shaft. The principal object in maintaining the equidistant relation between the connecting points 9, H and 20' is to divide the angles so that when the tractor is turning the angularity of the universal joints will be equally divided and they will not become unduly stressed or locked against rotation during such movements of the tractor.

We claim as our invention:

1. The combination, with a machine. and a power plant having a power take-off shaft, of a shaft section having telescoping members pivotally connected to the power take-off shaft, a yoke forming part of one of said telescoping shaft members, a clamping yoke connected to said yoke, a shaft section mounted in said clamping yoke its opposite end engaging the machine, and

means for releasing the clamping yoke whereby as i said shaft sections are adjusted laterally the clamping yoke will telescope on the section engaging the machine so that the shaft will be increased or decreased in length according to the distance between the power plant and machine as the shaft is being laterally adjusted.

2. In a power take off, a shaft section, means for pivotally connecting the section to a tractor, a second shaft section in which the first mentioned section telescopes and having a yoke at its rear end, a clamping yoke connected to said yoke, a main shaft section comprising a tubular member and a forward section secured thereto and engaged by the clamping yoke said tubular member having a stop thereon, a splined shaft secured in the tubular section, a clutch member having a sleeve mounted on the splined shaft and adjustable longitudinally thereon, a controlling spring between the stop and the clutch member, a bearing on the splined shaft, a clutch member on the bearing in rear of and engaging the first mentioned clutch member, a keeper on the splined shaft for normally maintaining the clutch members in engaged relation, a yoke pivotally connected to the rear clutch member, and a shaft .sectlon connected to the yoke and engaging actuating mechanisms on a machine.

r 3. The combination, with a machine and a tree tor having a power take-off shaft, of a drawbar pivotally connected to the tractor; a frame on the drawbar embodying a vertically adjustable support; a bearing on the support and adjustable laterally thereon; and a power shaft connecting the tractor and machine comprising a telescoping section, a clamping yoke pivotally connected thereto, a main shaft mounted in the clamping yoke and slidably supported in said bearing, a clutch interposed in said main shaft, and a shaft section pivotally connected to the clutch and engaging mechanism on the machine for controlling the same.

4. The combination, with a machine and a tractor having a power take-off shaft, of means for connecting said elements, shaft supporting means on said connecting means, a main shaft laterally adjustable and longitudinally slidable on said support, a telescoping shaft section connected to the power take-off shaft, means for clamping the telescoping section to the main shaft section for maintaining said sections in fixed longitudinal relation when the shaft as a whole is in predetermined position, and means for releasing the clamping means wherebythe main shaft section will telescope into the clamping means for shortening the shaft as a whole when adjusted lat;- erally from its predetermined position.

5. The combination, with a tractor and a machine embodying actuating mechanisms drawn and operated by the tractor, of a drawbar, a support on the drawbar embodying vertical members and-a cross-member adjustable thereon, a hearing adjustable on the cross-member, a sectional universally coupled power shaft mounted in the bearing and connected to the tractor and to the machine said shaft including a main section and members adapted to telescope in relation to each gaging the actz'ating chine will stop rotating while the remainder of the power shaft rotates.

6. The combination, with a machine and a therein and connected to said yolze, a shaft section having a circumferential groove therein according to the distance betwee'n'the power plant and machine as the shaft is being laterally adjusted.

WALLACE F. MACGREGOR. NORMAN R. KRAUBE. 

